JOURNAL OF OPTOELECTRONICS AND ADVANCED MATERIALS Vol. 9, No. 11, November 2007, p.

3529 - 3532

Digital Terrain Model by airborne LIDAR technique: an

essential tool for hydrologic risks assessment
A. COVASNIANU, M. CAZACUa, N. LIBRALESSOb, L. GALISSONb, M. MEMIERb, I. BALINc,*
University of Al. I . Cuza Faculty of Geography Geology, Iai, Iai, Romania
a
University of Al. I. Cuza Faculty of Physics Iai, Iai, Romania
b
SINTEGRA SARL, Avenue du Taillefer, BP 3, 38241 MEYLAN Cedex
c
EnviroScopY SA, PSE(A)-EPFL, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland

Simulations of the hydrological risks and thus the decisions of assessment strategies are crucial in the context of extreme
meteorological events due to the consequences of the fast changes in the climate. The remote sensing methods as LIDAR
backscatter technique are allowing the elaboration of a high precision ( 5 cm vertical and 3 points/m2 horizontal resolutions)
Digital Terrain Model (DTM) as basis of the hydrological modeling. Here is presented the airborne LIDAR technique, the
usefulness of the DTM outputs for hydrologic applications and the potential application for the Romanian Danube Flood
Plain assessment strategy.
(Received August 1, 2007; accepted November 1, 2007)
Keywords: DTM, LIDAR, hydrological risk modeling, Danube Flood Plain, climate change, Extreme events

1. Introduction
DTM (Digital Terrain Model) is the start in analyse of
the topology of the terrain but also for mathematical
modelation and spatial data. This is a method for GIS
(Geographical Information System) needed for simulations
of the hydrological hazards.
DTM refers to a digital representation of a surface
through elevation values.
LIDAR (light detection and ranging) is an active
remote sensing system using a laser light (with
wavelengths in range: UV, VIS, IR) to scan the target area.
The LIDAR technique is based on the detection and
analysis of backscatter light that results from the
interaction of a laser beam with target area (Fig. 1).
Schematic, the LIDAR system is compound by a source
laser and a receiver consisting in a telescope, an
analysis/selection system and a photodetector.
A Lidar system emits pulses of laser light and
precisely measures the elapsed time for a reflection to
return from the ground below. Knowing the speed of light
and the elapsed time, the distance to the target can be
calculated.
This paper presents the airbone LIDAR technique, the
usefulness of the DTM outputs for hydrologic applications
and the potential application for the Romanian Danube
Flood Plain assessment strategy into an ongoing project
(i.e. REELD Ecological and Economical Redimension of
Danube Flood Pain).

2. Experimental
The airborne LIDAR technique includes a scanning
instrument that generates laser pulses and detects the
reflected returns, an on-board GPS to determine the
geographic position and the height of the sensor and
aircraft attitude measurement using an inertial
measurement unit (IMU) to record the precise orientation
of the sensor. A second GPS located at a known ground
position receives data at the same time as the over flight
for later differential correction of the on-board GPS data
(DGPS), (Fig. 2).
By accurately timing the round trip travel time of the
light pulses from the aircraft to the ground (water, foliage,
buildings or other surface features) it is possible to
determine the range with a precision of centimeters.
The airborne LIDAR systems can produce accurate
measurements of surface elevation to digital elevation
models (DEM) with a high precision (5cm vertical and 3
points/m2 horizontal resolutions).
Using a rotating mirror inside the laser transmitter, the
laser pulses can be made to sweep through an angle,
tracing out a line on the ground. By reversing the direction
of rotation at a selected angular interval, the laser pulses
can scan back and forth along a line.
When a laser ranging system is mounted on an aircraft
with the scan line perpendicular to the direction of flight, it
produces a saw tooth pattern of ranges within a strip
centered directly along the flight path, (Fig. 2).
The width of the strip covered by the ranges, and the
spacing between measurement points, depends on the scan
angle of the laser ranging system and the airplane height of
flight.

A. Covasnianu, M. Cazacu, N. Libralesso, L. Galisson, M. Memier, I. Balin

3530

Target
Area

For this project it was used RIEGL LMS-Q560

scanner. The operational parameters can be configured to
cover a wide filed of applications. The digitization feature
enables the user to extract most comprehensive
information from the echo signals. Fig. 3 explain a
measurement situation where three measurements are
taken on different types of targets. The red pulses
symbolize the laser signals traveling towards the target
with the speed of light. When the signal interacts with the
diffusely reflecting target surface, a fraction of the
transmitted signal is reflected towards the laser instrument,
indicated by the blue signals.

Fig. 1. Schematic of Lidar system.

These parameters can be selected to yield a

measurement point every few meters providing enough
information to create a Digital Terrain Model (DTM)
adequate for most applications, including the mapping of
flood damage to Danube alluvial plain, in a single pass.
Fig. 3. Echo signals resulting from different types of targets.

3. Results
The dates where processed in Globe Mapper and
ArcGIS 9.2 (using 3D Analyst and Spatial Analyst
extensions), but also in Net Set (e.g. alternate software
solution by Data Invest Iasi). The area that we interpret
contains raw data from LIDAR within an area of
approximately 1.07 ha.
In the train of these it resulted the following maps:

Fig. 2. Airborne Terrain Elevaton Mapping

Scanner System Outline.

After a flight the precise position of the aircraft at the

exact period of each range measurement is computed
relative to nearby GPS ground stations using phase
differenced kinematics Global Positioning System
techniques.
As well as terrain data from DTMs LIDAR systems
are capable of simultaneously recording the first return
signal, the last return signal, or multiple reflections per
pulse depending on the application. Not every pulse will
generate multiple returns, and the number of returns will
vary so the resulting data is in effect, a three-dimensional
cloud of points.
Multiple returns can also be used to distinguish
different land cover classes.

Fig. 4. Slope map (elevation).

Digital Terrain Model by airborne LIDAR technique: an essential tool for hydrologic risks assessment

Fig. 5. Hill-shade map in 3D view (rotated right with 45 ).

Fig. 6. Transversal profile to N-S direction.

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Fig. 8. Partial simulation for Siret River Basin study (2).

Fig. 9. Partial simulation for Siret River Basin study (3).

Fig. 10. Partial simulation for Siret River Basin study (4).
Fig. 7. Partial simulation for Siret River Basin study (1).

Some datas could be interpreted in detail and

simulated using different GIS software (i.e.NetSet
platform from Data Invest Iasi).
As we can observe in Fig. 7-10 for the Siret River we
conducted a simulation in case of hydrological risk. This is
also named hydrological risk modeling.

4. Conclusions
LIDAR technique is a state of the art technique, very
accurate regarding to other methods used to elaborate a
precise DTM (for ex. classical digitization on topographic
maps).
With raw data from LIDAR, we could extract very
important information such as slope, aspect, contour,
profiles, etc. Here, we focus on the commonly slope map,
hill shade map profile and in the end on hydrological risk
modeling.

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A. Covasnianu, M. Cazacu, N. Libralesso, L. Galisson, M. Memier, I. Balin

In conclusion, using a LIDAR technique correlated

with a high GIS platform we can easily predict, model and
even emit hydrological forecasts.
Therefore, this technique is very useful in the
establishment of hydrological risks on Danube River (our
case study).

Acknowledgements
Data Invest Iasi, INCDD Tulcea and SINTEGRA &
APEI (France)

References
[1] W. E. Carter, R L Shrestha, 2000, A Special
GeoImaging Feature Submission, Department of Civil
Engineering, University of Florida & S P Leatherman,
Laboratory for Coastal Research and International
Hurricane Center, Florida International University.
[2] Ioan Balin, 2004, Measurement and analysis of
aerosols, cirrus-contrails, water vapor and
temperature in the upper troposphere with the
Jungfraujoch Lidar system, Lausanne, EPFL.
[3] J. F. O'Callaghan, D. M. Mark, 1984, The Extraction
of Drainage Networks from Digital Elevation Data,
Computer Vision, Graphics and Image Processing,
28: 328-344.

______________________
*
Corresponding author: ioan.balin@enviroscopy.com